AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball once again found a second-half surge, and used it move to 3-0 in Sun Conference play with a 71-52 victory over the Thomas University Night Hawks Thursday night at Donahue Gym. The was Ave Maria's 12th in a row against the Night Hawks, and gave the Gyrenes their first 3-0 start in Sun Conference play since the 2018-19 season.
A sluggish start placed the Gyrenes in an early hole, but Ave Maria wasted little time in battling their way back. Thomas raced out to a 13-3 lead in the first four and a half minutes, thanks especially to three early three-pointers from the visitors. It took the remainder of the quarter for AMU to erase Thomas' lead, but AMU finally took the lead for the first time Thursday when Grace Field scored just before the buzzer, giving Ave Maria a 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Despite taking the lead late in the first quarter, Ave Maria couldn't grab control of the game in the second, and Thomas would eventually take the lead into the halftime break. Neither team led by more than four points in the second quarter, a frame that saw Ave Maria shoot just 23.5 percent from the field and miss all six of their three-pointers. Thomas ended the frame on a 10-2 run, and held a 33-29 lead at the conclusion of the first half.
The second half saw the Gyrenes finally take control, as Ave Maria would outscore Thomas 42-19 in the final 20 minutes. AMU dialed up the defensive pressure in the third, holding the Night Hawks to just six points on 12 shots. On the other end of the floor, Ave Maria made seven of their 12 shots, led by eight points, including two three-pointers, from sophomore Emily Rapacz. AMU's 19-6 edge in the third quarter allowed the Gyrenes to take a 48-39 lead into the fourth period.
Ave Maria proceeded to bury the Night Hawks in the fourth quarter, holding Thomas to just one field goal in the final ten minutes while knocking down five three-pointers. Gianna Santacroce was the ringleader in the fourth, making all four of her three-point attempts, which came in a span of less than two minutes, allowing the Gyrenes to put away the Night Hawks and move to 6-1.
In just 19 minutes on the floor, Santacroce led all scorers with 20 points, 18 of which came on three-pointers. Emily Rapacz and Lavariah Armstead were also in double figures, scoring eleven and ten points, respectively. The remainder of AMU's scoring was balanced, with eight players between two and six points. The leading rebounder was Grace Field with ten, her third consecutive game and fourth this season with ten or more rebounds.
The 6-1 Gyrenes gear up for a chance at a fourth straight Sun Conference win, as the Coastal Georgia Mariners are set for a visit to Ave Maria Saturday afternoon. A win over Coastal Georgia, who fell to Southeastern in SUN play Thursday night, would mark Ave Maria's first-ever home win over the Mariners. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Donahue Gym.
